Why is it important to look after your contact lenses? What other things do you need to do to make contact lens wear safe?

Why is it important to look after my contact lenses?

There are many different types of contact lens used in a wide range of situations.

However the one thing that they all have in common is that following the correct cleaning and hygiene measures is vital in order to avoid any serious problems with lens wear.

The two main problems that can be caused by poor cleaning and hygiene with contact lens wear are:

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risk of an eye infection

poor level of oxygen reaching the front of the eye.

Why are these important?

Infections of the eye can range from a mild infection that makes the eye slightly red and uncomfortable, to a very serious ulcer that is very painful and potentially catastrophic to vision and health of the eye.

If the eye doesn’t get enough oxygen through the lens to remain nice and healthy, the eye can undergo long-term changes that could threaten the vision and cause long-term damage to the cornea.

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The overall risk of these complications is low provided the cleaning and care instructions are well followed.

This leaflet aims to highlight the important points of good contact lens care.

How do I look after my contact lenses?

The best routine for caring for your contact lenses may depend on the type of contact lenses that you use.

This may be in terms of the material used – perhaps it’s a hard or rigid gas permeable lens or it's a soft lens.

It will also depend on whether your lens is a daily disposable or a lens which is designed to last for a set period of time, eg a two-weekly lens or a monthly lens.

Daily disposable lenses don’t require any daily cleaning as they are thrown away after one days wear. It is very important that these lenses are never reused.

Because the wearer is always using a new lens, these are very safe in terms of reducing the risk of an infection and can be used in patients who have had problems with other lens types.

However some of the advice below on hygiene measures still applies to these lenses. If you wear contact lenses that are designed to last for a fixed period of time, they will require daily cleaning as instructed by your optometrist, in order to reduce the risk of problems.

Whether you wear a hard lens or a soft lens you will be advised on a suitable contact lens solution that will be used to ‘clean’ the lens after a day’s wear, followed by overnight ‘soaking’ in a clean case.

The solutions may consist of either a ‘multi-purpose’ solution in one bottle or a two bottle system – one for cleaning and one for soaking. These solutions will be specific to either hard lenses or soft lenses.

In general all lenses need to be cleaned after been worn for a day. This involves placing the lens in the palm of the hand, covering it with the cleaning solution and giving it a gentle rub with the tip of your finger for about 30 seconds.

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This cleans the surface of the lens of any deposits. The lens should then be placed in the case in fresh soaking solution overnight.

The lens is then ready to be used in the morning without any further cleaning.

It may be useful to have ‘saline’ at hand when cleaning and handling the lens in order to rinse the cleaning solution.

It is very important that fresh solution is used each night. Also if the lens has not been used for a few days, it is important to go through the cleaning routine the night before you plan to wear the lens again.

With all solutions, always read the enclosed instructions on their proper use and discard bottles when they exceed their expiry date.

What if I have problems with my contact lens solutions?

Some people can have an allergic reaction to their lens solutions due to one of the ingredients.

If the eyes become red, watery and burn or itch, it is possible that this is what has happened. In this case take the lenses out and consult your optometrist.

There are other solutions available that don’t contain any preservatives, which your optometrist could instruct you on.

These prevent most allergic reactions. An alternative may be to switch to a daily disposable lens which would remove the cleaning solutions.

What other things do I need to do to make contact lens wear safe?

The following rules of contact lens wear apply to all types lenses regardless of type and material.

Handwashing: always wash and rinse your hands thoroughly with an anti-bacterial soap before any handling or cleaning of the lenses.

Domestic water: do not use tap water to clean or rinse the lenses. Tap water contains small bugs and bacteria that can cause very serious infections and ulcers of the eye. This applies also to showers and swimming pools – contact lenses should not be worn in either of these situations. An infection in this context can cause blindness.

Contact lens cases must be cleaned and replaced regularly. A dirty contact lens case is one of the most common sources of serious eye infections/ulcers. The case should be cleaned at least once a week, either with the solutions or with boiling water, and allowed to air-dry.

Sleeping in lenses: unless your lens is designed to be slept in and has been arranged under the guidance of your optometrist, do not sleep in your contact lenses. This greatly increases the risk of an infection/ulcer of the eye and other problems associated with a poor level of oxygen reaching the eye.

Attend regular contact lens check-ups with your optometrist. The frequency of check-up will be decided by your optometrist. This is typically either once every six months or annually. There are three main aspects that the optometrist needs to check; the vision is the best it can be with the lenses, the lenses are fitting properly and are in good condition, and that the health of the eye is not being compromised by lens wear. Adherence to their advice will greatly reduce the risk of any problems.

If you buy your lenses online, it's vital important to attend your optometrist for check-ups as there can be subtle long-term changes occurring that you as the patient would be otherwise unaware of.

What if I have experience a problem with my contact lenses?

If you experience any problems, such as redness, discomfort, pain, discharge or reduced vision with your lenses follow the steps below.

Remove the lenses and retain them along with their case for your optometrist to examine. Do not reinsert your lenses until you have consulted your optometrist or an eye doctor.

Phone your optometrist and report your symptoms. They will arrange to see you as urgently as required. If it is outside normal office hours and you have a major concern in terms of pain or reduced vision, contact your GP surgery or NHS 24 for further advice.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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